TED NEAL'S AUTOMOTIVE TROUBLESHOOTING HELP SITE. I have 35 years experience and my auto repair associate, Dave McConnell, has 22 years experience. Let me know what the car repair trouble is and we'll do our best to help you out.

TRANSMISSION TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS Though they may be trying their best to do consumers a good service, auto transmission professionals who do quote prices for major car problems over the telephone are doing just the opposite. First, even qualified automotive technicians who specialize in other areas of the car seldom have the ability to observe and then relate all the information necessary to come to an accurate conclusion related to transmissions. Then, there is the ever constant problem of conveying their observations in a manner that is meaningful to the transmission specialist. For example, will one's definition of the terms slip, squeak, grind, squeal and bump be the same as the transmission professional who is trying to interpret those terms? Categorically—no! Car problems related to the automatic transmission are best auto repair left to on-site inspection. Next, have all the complicated troubleshooting procedures been performed which are necessary to provide a correct and cost efficient repair recommendation? The odds are poor at very best. With today's sophisticated, electronically controlled transmissions, in many cases accurate troubleshooting requires "high tech", expensive troubleshooting test equipment before even the professional can render a qualified opinion about the car's problem. Further, auto repair when it has been determined which system(s) in the transmission have failed, then the extent of the internal damage must be determined before a meaningful price can be discussed. Short of performing these essential troubleshooting auto repair procedures, persons who quote prices are either guessing, with virtually auto repair thousands of variables or stating a meaningless price which will have to be adjusted when all the troubleshooting data is obtained about the car problem in question. We could compare this situation to a patient who calls his dentist, describing oral pain under a given set of circumstances. Is the auto repair pain caused by a gum infection, a cavity, the need for a root canal or is the only remedy complete tooth removal? The average consumer would be less than confident if the dentist were to recommend root canal or extraction with such incomplete information. The same is true in transmission diagnosis. Any auto repair meaningful diagnosis can only be rendered after a complete inspection is performed. Copyright 2000. Ted Neal, Inc. Please e-mail me auto repair if you have any questions about this website or would like to suggest a link. Thank you.